0: The Sacred Grove is arranged as described. The celebrants hallow the Grove; the Fire is lit, the Well is filled, the Tree is blessed.
Purpose
This is a time of boundaries, a time of reclaiming the world from those spirits who inhabit the darker corners. We ask that they begone, and we welcome in the lighter half of the year, as this equinox marks the light half of the year.
Procession
With singing (“We Approach the Sacred Grove”), arrive and circle the hallows deosil. The Druids complete the sigil, then give the opening prayers.
Fire and Water: Seer draws water from the Well and Bard lights a censer from the Fire. They quickly cense and asperge the company as they enter.
Opening Prayers
A: Universal Spirit: Senior Druid speaks:
You who are without name
You who are without gender
You who are without form
Spirits which exist in all Creation
We, the Children of the Earth
Call out to you
And ask that you bless this work and our lives.
So be it.
All: So be it!
B: Earth Mother: All kneel and touch or kiss the earth. The Seer speaks:
O beloved mother of all
From whose starry womb
The green earth springs
You who are the bearer of all life
You who are the Mother of all Gods
We pray you bless and uphold this rite.
All: So be it!
C: Awen: The Bard invokes, saying:
Power of inspiration that attends us
Voice of the Fire of Wisdom,
Voice of the Well of Inspiration
I call on you to place the clear heart in us
Come into our hearts’ shrine
Guide our rite in the way of Truth
O power of inspiration in this holy place
O power of inspiration at this holy time
So be it!
All: So be it!
Purpose And Precedent
As our ancestors once did, so we do today, and so our children will do in the future. We are here to pay homage to Sûlis, the lady who is the sun. Her light sustains us, and protects us from all who cannot stand her face.
Purification
Outdwellers: An offering is made to the south of the Grove, saying:
Those whose purpose is cross with ours,
You whose harmony does not match our voices,
Be you God, Goddess, Spirit, or Giant,
We ask that you accept this gift
And trouble not our working.
Likewise we acknowledge within ourselves
All those things that would cause disunity
We contemplate these ills and enemies
And for this sacred time
We set them aside!
Grove Attunment
The waters support and surround us
The land extends about us
The sky stretches out above us.
At the center burns a living flame.
May all the Kindred bless us.
May our worship be true.
May our actions be just.
Blessings, and honor, and worship to the Holy Ones.
Fire, Well And Tree
Offerings to the Sacred Center. The seer offers silver to the well, saying:
O sacred waters that flow and swirl beneath all being
Accept our offering!
Let us know the elder depths within ourselves
The source of all,
The well of elder wisdom
Sacred Well, flow within us!
All respond: Sacred well, flow within us!
The bard makes an offering of oil is made to the Fire, saying:
O sacred fire that consumes and transforms
True and holy light of the Shining Ones
Accept our offering!
O sacrificed and sacrificer
Let the holy flame of the Gods
Warm our spirits and our lives.
Sacred Fire, burn within us!
All: Sacred fire, burn within us!
The Bile is censed and sprinkled by the Senior Druid, saying:
O sacred pillar, boundary of all worlds,
Stand at the center of the sky,
Stand at the center of the sea,
Stand at the center of the land on which we dwell.
Let us be deepened in your depths
Raised to your heights
Strengthened in your strength
Sacred Tree, grow within us!
All: Sacred tree, grow within us!
Chant: Axis Chant
Opening The Gates
The Senior Druid makes an offering to the Raven, saying:
Raven,
Battle Maiden, Lady of the Ways,
Open the ways for us.
Guide us as we walk in your holy ways,
Guide us as we walk the Sacred Road.
Share your magic with us,
Ward us as we travel to meet the Kindred.
Raven, accept our sacrifice!
All: Raven, accept our sacrifice!
An offering of oil is given to the Fire. The Senior Druid then conjures the Gates, making an opening triskel on the Fire and Well, saying:
Now, Lady of Ways
Join your magic with mine
And let the fire open as a gate,
Let the well open as a gate,
Let the tree be the crossroads of all Worlds.
Open as a road to our voices and to the Spirits.
Let the gates be open!
All: Let the gates be open!
Kindred Offerings
The druids make proper offerings to each of the Kindred, standing at the fire.
Ancestors
(Seer)
The Children of the Earth call out to the Mighty Dead.
Hear us, our Ancestors, our Kindred.
To all those whose bones lie in this land,
Whose hearts are tied to it,
Whose memory holds it;
Ancient tribes of this place,
We offer you welcome.
To all of our grandmothers and grandfathers,
Our own beloved dead,
Blood-kin and heart-kin;
Ancient tribes of our blood,
We offer you welcome.
To all those elder wise ones who guide their people,
Poets and seers,
Judges and magicians;
Wise women and men of ancient days,
We offer you welcome.
So, O Mighty Ones
We call to you as our kin,
In the love of the All-Mother,
To join in our magic.
Come to our fire, Spirits
Meet us at the boundary
Guide us and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
Ancestors, accept our sacrifice!
(an offering of food and/or drink is made onto the ground or into a shaft)
All: Ancestors, Accept our sacrifice!
Nature Spirits
(Bard)
The Children of Earth call out to the Spirits of this Land.
Hear us, companions and teachers!
To all our allies,
Kindred of stone and stream,
Crystal and fertile soil,
Pools and every water;
Earth-kins,
We offer you welcome
To all our allies,
Kindred of the growing green,
Herb and flower,
Shrub and mighty trees,
Root and stem and fruit.
Green-kins,
We offer you welcome.
To all our allies,
Kindred of fur and feather and scale
All who walk or fly or swim or crawl
Animal-kins,
We offer you welcome.
So, O Noble Ones
We call to you as our allies,
In the joy of life upon earth,
To join in our magic.
Come to our fire, Spirits;
Meet us at the boundary.
Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
Nature Spirits, accept our sacrifice!
(an offering of herbs, flowers and/or trinkets is scattered around the nemeton’s edge or hung on the tree)
All: Nature Spirits, Accept our sacrifice!
Deities
(Senior Druid)
The Children of Earth call out to the Shining Ones.
Hear us, eldest and brightest!
To all the Shining Ones,
First children of the Mother,
Wisest and mightiest,
Loving and comforting;
Gods and Goddesses,
We offer you welcome.
To the Goddesses and Gods of this place,
Ancient and powerful,
Known to us or unknown;
Gods of this place,
We offer you welcome.
To all the deities of those here gathered,
You whom we worship,
You who bless our lives;
O patrons and matrons,
We offer you welcome.
So, O Shining Ones,
We call to you as our elders,
In reverence and love,
To join in our magic.
Come to our fire, Shining Ones;
Meet us at the boundary.
Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
Deities, accept our sacrifice!
(an offering of scented oil is poured on the fire)
All: Shining Ones, Accept our sacrifice!
After all the offerings have been made, the druids recenter the company and lead an attunement to all the spirits that have been called, and a proper chant or hymn is sung to the three Kindred.
Key Offerings
Senior Druid speaks, saying:
Welcome to the Gods and Goddesses, the Mighty Dead and the Noble Sidhe!
To all of you who have gathered at our fire, we pray you join us in worshipping the patrons of this holy rite here in our sacred grove.
The druids now give the descriptive invocations of the patron powers of the rite.
Holy Sûlis, whose brilliance guides us by day,
You have grown strong!
On this day, you triumph over the darkness
As your light streams to all corners of the world!
The darkness of winter has bent us over,
And beaten us harshly.
A maiden of battle, you took up sword and shield
And vanquished our opressor!
Likewise, we ask that you come to us,
That you banish those things that depress us,
That your light be radiant and fill us
With joy, love, and hope.
Sûlis, give us your light!
All: Sûlis, give us your light!
Praise Offerings:
Senior Druid asks for Praise Offerings
Final Sacrifice and Omen
The druids prepare the final offerings and say:
So we have given of our love and our wealth
To Sûlis.
Now let our voices arise on the Fire
Let our voices sound in the Well
Let our words pass the boundary to the Otherworlds.
Sûlis
We give you our love
Our respect, and our devotion
as we pray you…
Sûlis, accept our sacrifice!
All: Sûlis, accept our sacrifice!
All are led to send their energy through the gates to the powers, meditating on the deities and the nobles. Then Senior Druid speaks:
Having sacrificed to the Powers
Let us open to them
Asking what blessings they offer us in return
And the needs they have of us.
Omen is taken as usual. The seer then interprets the omen, leading the company to contemplate the things they would ask of the powers, especially as suggested by the omen. Company recenters in preparation for the blessing.
The Blessing
A: The litany of the waters:
Senior Druid speaks:
Ancient and Mighty Ones we have honored you
We pray you honor us in turn
For a gift calls for a gift
Hear your children:
Shining Ones, give us the Waters!
All: Shining Ones, give us the Waters!
B: Hallowing the waters:
Ale is poured into the horns and elevated. Senior Druid speaks:
We draw blessing from the Cauldron of Blessing
We pour the Mead of Inspiration
Behold the holy Cup of Magic
The outpouring of Blessing from the Great Ones
When we share the draught of the Gods
We drink in wisdom, love and strength
To do as we will in the worlds
In service to the Shining Ones.
Hear us Sûlis:
Hallow these waters!
Behold the Waters of Life!
All: Behold the Waters of Life!
The horns are passed and all drink as a proper hymn (“Pour the Waters”) is sung.
Closing
When all is done, the druids lead a resettling, then begin to close the grove, saying:
The Great Ones have blessed us
With joy in our hearts
Let us carry the magic from our sacred Grove
Into our lives and our work.
Each time we offer to the Powers
They become stronger
And more aware of our needs and our worship.
So now as we prepare to depart
Let us give thanks
To all those who have aided us.
O Sûlis, We thank you!
All: We thank you!
O Gods and Goddesses of elder days, We thank you!
All: We thank you!
O Spirits of this land, We thank you!
All: We thank you!
O Ancestors, our Kindred, We thank you!
All: We thank you!
To all those Powers that have aided us, we say again…
We thank you!
All: We thank you!
Druids renew the company’s centering once more, signaling the return to common awareness and ease of access to the centered state. Then any unused offerings, return flow, incense, water etc. is given to the earth, saying:
Mother of all
To you we return all we leave unused
Uphold us now in the world as you have in our rite.
We thank you!
All: We thank you!
The druids go to the center. They speak:
O Gatekeeper, warder of the ways
For your presence and power
Your guiding and guarding we say…
We thank you!
All: We thank you!
Druid makes the closing sign over the hallows with the wand, saying:
Now by the Keeper of Gates and by our magic
We end what we began.
Now let the Fire be flame
Let the Well be water
Let the Tree be only wood
Let all be as it was before
Let the Gates be closed!
All: Let the Gates be closed!
Go now, Children of the Earth
In peace and blessings
The rite is ended!
The bard leads a proper chant as the company processes out of the Grove (“Walk with Wisdom”).
